I'm firmly in the first category, I confess. And you know how when you don't like a certain food and in spite of that a friend will keep bugging you to try it just one more time, that this time will be different? "I hate broccoli", you'll say "and I've always hated it" and then this guy will say "yeah, but you've never had it like this before" or "when was the last time you tried it?" I'm that guy.
We hope to have Damo back for Irish Fest 2009, so those of you in the latter camp: won't you try the broccoli one more time? Or at least, make me understand. Is it that he doesn't always sound like we expect Irish music to sound like, with ska and reggae influenced stuff like Negative Vibes and Teachers? The voice? The performance style?The song writing? And those of you who are fans, help me out here too. What do you like?
Let's get in the mood. Here's a different sound from our last selection. Listen and discuss. And try the broccoli.
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8 comments:
What do I like?
I like asparagus NOW, but I didn't like it as a kid.
I will never, ever, ever like meatloaf. I don't care how great your grannies meatloaf is- it's all nasty shite.
Oh, you meant Damo, huh? He's totally NOT shite!! And he's yummy. Just like asparagus!
To quote Damien directly, "It's all about the PASSION!!" Think bull in a china shop passionate. Singing loud and proud. Think boom box over your head passionate. Henry and June under the bridge passionate.
At least that's my take on him.
Cami
As someone in the "I don't get it" camp, for me it is mostly the voice. There is a rawness to it that just doesn't resonate with me. I understand that it is part of the passion that appeals to people, the "loud and proud" as Cami put it, but there is a quality to it that doesn't work for me...sort of like listening to a slightly-out-of-tune guitar.
Having said that, I would be perfectly happy to see him in the lineup next year. A good festival, like this one, offers a broad range of music that caters to a variety of tastes and I have discovered some wonderful musicians here who I probably would have never listened to on my own. And who knows, maybe next year I will "get it".
Dean
Nice try, Dan, but I HAVE seen that particular video and I think it's a CLASSIC example of 'why I don't get 'Damo'. When the notes of the song are both too high AND too low for your 'voice'... you HAVE to sort of MOUTH it or GROWL it or something.
It's not that I don't KNOW what he is doing. It was perfectly obvious what the guy was going to TRY and do when he named his first CD "They don't teach you this shit in high school." It's kind of like watching some Bob Dylan impersonator or something. Some are better than others. In 'Damo's case... I DO 'get' what he is TRYING to do... I just don't think he's doing it very well.
That being said... when you look at his popularity amongst Irish ( kids ) then he probably DOES deserve a place at an Irish festival.
I just wouldn't go out of my way to see him, that's all.
I don't 'get' MENUDO, either, but they were at a local mall I was near once and you couldn't get within a mile of the place.
I get him and I'll get him... for 2009.
-Shocko
I just love 'open minded' discussions.
So, Shocko... why don't you do what Dan asked and explain WHY you DO like him?
I DO GET HIM also and think he is poetic! We may be very glad we had him or in years to come it could go unnoticed either!
Speaking as someone who did not get an opportunity to see Damien Dempsey live, but have only been exposed through these clips, (I happened to be very busy elsewhere at the Fest) I get why people 'get' him. There's a raw element and a passion to his singing that makes it organic and powerful, at least to me. I've seen many bad irish singers over the years, and some were off-key, some were on. I've seen great irish singers that definitely couldn't hit all the notes. But there's a quality, an energy, that makes them have great appeal.
One group I love often claims that they aren't the best, they just wanted it more than their peers. And that drive made them successful and their drive makes you want to watch them onstage, because they convey it so well.
They have a certain magnetism. It's because they're doing what they love, and that carries over to the crowd, and that makes their music appealing.
If I wanted pitch perfect singing, I'd go to an opera, or if I wantd polished, rehearsed performances (a la 1980), maybe I'd catch menudo at the mall.
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